Monday, December 29, 2008

All Good Things...

...Come to an end.
If you still read here. I guess you've figured out that this blog is done. Thank you all for reading. It was a great journey.

Sci-Fi Ranter Girl

Thursday, August 21, 2008

Show Dates as of 08/21/08

From scifitv.org

Primeval (BBC America) Aug 9 (US Series Debut)
Bones (FOX) Sep 3 (Season Four)
Ghost Hunters (SciFi) Sep 3 (Season Four resumes)
Destination Truth (SciFi) Sep 3 (Season Two resumes)
True Blood (HBO) Sep 7 (Series Debut)
Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles (FOX) Sep 8 (Season Two)
Fringe (FOX) Sep 9 (Series Debut)
Smallville (CW) Sep 18 (Season Eight)
Supernatural (CW) Sep 18 (Season Four)
CSI: Miami (CBS) Sep 22 (Season Seven)
Heroes (NBC) Sep 22 (Season Three)
Knight Rider (NBC) Sep 24 (Series Debut)
CSI: NY (CBS) Sep 24 (Season Five)
Desperate Housewives (ABC) Sep 28 (Season Five)
Dexter (SHO) Sep 28 (Season Three)
Chuck (NBC) Sep 29 (Season Two)
Pushing Daisies (ABC) Oct 1 (Season Two)
Ghost Whisperer (CBS) Oct 3 (Season Four)
Numbers (CBS) Oct 3 (Season Five)
Life on Mars (ABC) Oct 9 (Series Debut)
CSI (CBS) Oct 9 (Season Nine)
Eleventh Hour (CBS) Oct 9 (Series Debut)
My Own Worst Enemy (NBC) Oct 13 (Series Debut)
Eli Stone (ABC) Oct 14 (Season Two)
Crusoe (NBC) Oct 17 (Series Debut)
24 (FOX) Nov 23 (Special Movie)
24 (FOX) Jan 09 (Season Seven)
Dollhouse (FOX) TBA (Series Debut)
Medium (NBC) Feb 09 (Season Five)
Merlin (NBC) Feb 09 (US Series Debut)
Kings (NBC) Feb 09 (Series Debut)
The Listener (NBC) Sum 09 (Series Debut)

Saturday, July 26, 2008

X-Files Fandom X-Treme

I'm a bit excited about the new X-Files movie. Check out my X-Files fan video. Do you have more X-Files stuff than me? I don't think so!

*No action figures were harmed in the making of this video.

Friday, June 13, 2008

Battlestar Galactica Mid-Season Live Twitter Party Tonight

Tonight is the mid- season finale for Battlestar Galactica. Will we learn who the fifth and final Cylon is or will we have to wait until frakking 2009 for that answer? Either way, join me for Tubular's Frakkin' Friday. I twitter Battlestar Galacatica live on Twitter (CST). If you don't want to spoil your friends on your own account, you can sign up for a new Twitter account here. You can find Tubular TV on Twitter here; user name @tubulartv.

The next day (or so) I write a blog review/recap and include some of the highlights of the Twitter session. Check out last week's entry here: Battlestar Galactica: It's all about the love.

Tonight's episode is "Revelations". A band of rebel Cylons hold President Roslyn hostage while attempting to lure the Final Five out of hiding aboard Galactica.
Battlestar Galactica on SciFi.

See you at the party tonight.

Sunday, June 08, 2008

Summer 2008 Premiere Dates

from sftv.org

SFTV New Season start dates / Special Airdates :
 Fear Itself (NBC)                   June  5 (Series Debut)
Charlie Jade (SciFi) June 6 (SciFi Debut)
The Middleman (ABC Family) June 16 (Series Debut)
Burn Notice (USA) Jul 10 (Season Two)
Monk (USA) Jul 18 (Season Seven)
Psych (USA) Jul 18 (Season Three)
Primeval (BBC America) Aug ?? (US Series Debut)
Fringe (FOX) Aug 26 (Series Debut)
Heroes (NBC) Sep 22 (Season Three)
Knight Rider (NBC) Sep 24 (Series Debut)
Chuck (NBC) Sep 29 (Season Two)
My Own Worst Enemy (NBC) Sep 29 (Series Debut)
Crusoe (NBC) Oct 17 (US Series Debut)
24 (FOX) Nov 23 (Special Movie)
Medium (NBC) Feb 09 (Season Five)
Merlin (NBC) Feb 09 (US Series Debut)
Kings (NBC) Feb 09 (Series Debut)
The Listener (NBC) Sum 09 (Series Debut)
from blendtelevision.com

Friday, July 11
Flashpoint – (CBS)
Stargate: Atlantis - (Scifi)

Tuesday, July 29
Eureka (SciFi)

Friday, June 06, 2008

Live Battlestar Galactica Twitter Watch Party

You know you aren't doing anything tonight. You'll be at home watching TV on a Friday night just like the rest of us. That's why you need to get off your frakking beehind and join me for Tubular's Frakkin' Friday. I twitter Battlestar Galacatica live on Twitter (CST). You can sign up for Twitter here. You can find Tubular TV on Twitter here; user name @tubulartv.

Tonight's episode is "The Hub". Viper pilots and Cylon Rebels unite to destroy a vital enemy target.

The next day (or so) I write a blog review/recap and include some of the highlights of the Twitter session. Check out last week's entry here: Battlestar Galactica: Yes, Lee Adama Can.

Battlestar Galactica on SciFi.

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

OMG! The Vatican Says I Can Believe in Aliens!

Vatican: It's OK to believe in aliens - Yahoo! News

ET is my brother.

This statement seems like it will cause a problem for the church somewhere down the line but it's good news today. I still doesn't make up for the fact that genetic manipulation is a sin. I really wanted to "get my hands" on one of those genetic supermen.

What has become of Darth Vader?

For one he's taken to running around the UK, in a trash bag cape hitting people with metal canes. A trash bag cape? Seriously? I'm not even sure that I can go for a Jedi church. I can see how the principles of the Jedi can be useful in real life especially in this situation. There were two against one. They must have felt pity for Darth and decided not to attack. Instead they made Darth Vader pay a paltry fine.

"There will be no one to stop us this time!"

The jokes practically write themselves on this one. This is the worst debacle since The Star Wars kid. The Yahoo article says there is video. I hunted around YouTube and found something. I don't know if it's the real thing mainly because what I found were guys that were actually kinda good at saber (pole) fighting. They were thin and kinda cute. Those guys are NOT Star Wars fans. :D

'Darth Vader' spared jail in Jedi church attacks - Yahoo! News

http://www.jedi-church.co.uk/

Sunday, May 04, 2008

Iron Man is the Perfect Summer Movie

Turn ye back for there be spoilers....


I'm going to post this while I'm still in a tizzy over Iron Man. I loved it. The tech was sexy and made for a extremely visually pleasing movie. I haven't really seen Robert Downey Jr. do anything in recent memory so I was a little unsure about how this was going to turn out. I also was never a big fan of Iron Man/ Tony Stark. (Unless you count Ghostface Killah. I'm more in to The Genius and Method Man though.. I know... digressing) Because they didn't go into too much back story, this movie is accessible for a lot of viewers. I went in with zero expectation. I came out squealing and making a big fuss over this movie. It was just a whole lot of fun.

If the tech and effects don't get you, the lack of bad dialog should. There are a lot of comic book/ sci-fi summer movies with dialog that just plain sucks. I didn't cringe when the actors spoke and everything was natural. Gwyneth Paltrow is just divine. I knew she was going to be a hit in this movie simply because her AND the head of Iron Man made the cover of this month's Vogue Magazine. That's huge! In the link be sure to check out the photo gallery. Drool worthy!

So let's see... gadgets, explosions, sexy effects, good dialog, awesome actors... what else am I forgetting....

Oh yeah... at the end of the movie, Samuel L. Jackson makes an appearance as Nick Fury. ...nothing big....
@$*&^$!!! I can't wait!

No seriously, that tech was soooooo sexy.

Thursday, May 01, 2008

Battlestar Galactica So Far

BSG started out intense. From the Cylon in-fighting to newbie Cylons throwing people out of air locks to the religious banter. The religious angle bores me and there is too much of it for my taste. The Cylons seem to be falling apart. Why are they being so erratic? I know why but isn't there a centralized leader to direct them? They talk about what's forbidden and blah, blah, blah but they seem to be as lost as our humans. The only person that seems to be on track is Starbuck. The mission is to find Earth. Why is she doing this alone. It' should be a fleet effort. I understand that it *could be* a cylon trap but she should have more resources. Speaking of Starbuck, what happened? Did she time travel? Patrick Aquilone has an interesting theory that involves something from the original series called The Ship of Lights. It's pretty interesting.

My predictions: Tory will be the first of the new fangled four (five) to die. She's way too off. Because she's not Tigh or Tyrol, a major character, she's expendable.
As much as I despise him, Lee Adama might be president. Seems like they are gearing him up for that position.
The whole show is looking like a military exercise or perhaps a dream. Just that though makes me wanna slap somebody.

Currently, I do a brief reviewcap at Tubular. I also do live chat on Twitter the night BSG airs in CST.

Houston Chronicle's Tubular: Battlestar Galactica
TubularTV on Twitter


Note: The TubularTV Twitter feed is used for ALL of the TV shows discussed on Tubular. A lot of it can be spoilerish.

Thursday, April 17, 2008

Friday, March 28, 2008

I Love Sci-Movie Lists

Popular Mechanics has an article about the 10 Most Prophetic Sci-Fi Movies Ever.

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

RIP Arthur C. Clarke

From Yahoo: Writer Arthur C. Clarke dies at 90
Arthur C. Clarke, a visionary science fiction writer who co-wrote "2001: A Space Odyssey" and won worldwide acclaim with more than 100 books on space, science and the future, died Wednesday, an aide said. He was 90.

People like this should live forever. We'll miss you.

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

When You're Hooked on Jericho...

...who has time to blog? I've been watching Jericho all weekend and you guys were right. It is a good show. I can't stop watching it. I haven't seen one episode yet that made me want to throw in the towel. Once I adjusted to the pace of the show and the characters, I just couldn't stop watching. Currently, I'm on episode 10, Red Flag. I thought I was going to be finished with the show this weekend so that I could see season 2 with everyone else but it's not happening. I'll catch up soon.

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

The Battle of Writer's Strike is Over

...and boy was it a nail biter. TV might suffer for about six months to a year as we recover. It will be interesting to see how we pick up the pieces. What shows are still in and which one's are out? It's been a LONG 3 months. It seems like it's been a year.

Comic Book Bin: The Writer's Strike: The End is Nigh!
BREAKING: The Writer's Strike is Officially Over!
Writer's Strike Officially Over!
Writers confirm strike end

from the Comic Book Bin:
The second season of Heroes is apparently finished. Any new episodes put into production will air as part of the third season beginning this fall. As the show is built around longer story arcs similar to the contemporary layout of comic books, to put only a couple of episodes into production would probably not add to the overall experience of the show.

The current season of Lost just began airing not that long ago, but with only the eight episodes produced before the strike. Executive Producer Damon Lindelof is hesitant about how many episodes can be produced and still aired without extending the show far into summer. A tentative plan of creating five episodes has been discussed, bringing the total of the current season’s episodes up to thirteen of the initial pre-strike plan of sixteen.


24: Possibly the worst off for all of the shows affected by the Writer’s Strike. 24 will likely stay off the air until a mid-season start beginning in January 2009, creating a year and a half gap between episodes. Being unable to have a complete 24 episode season would ruin the concept of the show and cause a story to end mid-season.



OT: I must say that I will be VERY HAPPY to see the writers return to "The" Daily Show. I didn't realize how much they actually contributed to the show. The fight between Stewart/ Colbert/ O'Brien was funny but I want that quick witted take on news back.

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Finally Watching Jericho

This isn't going to be a show with humor; it's more like Lost. I've heard that comparison before. It is true in that Jericho is a very serious and intense show. I'm on episode 2. I'm not hooked yet but I'm giving it the 5 episode test. Folks promise me it's a good watch. I'm going to trust you all.

Monday, February 04, 2008

Superbowl and Sci-Fi

This year marked the first year that I watched the Superbowl from start to finish. (Okay! I missed the first 20 minutes.) This game had sci-fi written all over it from it's number 42 to the Terminator vs. Foxbot ads. A side note: the animation on the Foxbot's thighs are what got me. The animation was so fluid and life- like. I just couldn't stop looking at the robot's thighs.

Sarah Connor Chronicles got a really big push. It was great to see a sci-fi show, ON FOX no less, getting a mainstream push. If the show stays with the explosions and fast paced storyline, Fox just might retain some viewers. Christensen Hayden has a speaking role in Jumper, which for all intense purposes looks like it might get me in theaters. And sonofa... this guy is going to be in Neuromancer! THERE'S GOING TO BE A NEUROMANCER MOVIE!!! I can only muster a half- hearted girlie- squeal because of the Hayden factor. He has to prove himself to me. He owes me $16 bucks for Episode 2 & 3 but I digress.

I'm not sure what Wanted is but Angelia Jolie is in it and quite frankly, I'm a fan. She makes sci-fi fun and sexy. Next up is The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. Sexy, hot, dreamy man- that- I'd- give- my- paltry- paycheck- too Liam Neeson will reprise his role as Aspan. I'm not a a furry but that lion makes me go rawwwrrrr!


I must say that the game was better than the commercials. If you are a glutton for punishment, the ads are still up on Myspace and Fox Sports.
http://www.myspace.com/superbowlads
http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/7755014

Sunday, February 03, 2008

Torchwood Returns and is Flaming Hot

Torchwood is back and started very strong. The premiere was the stuff that classics are made of. I was so supercharged by this that I had to record a short bit on it.
Torchwood and Man Kisses
Torchwood is back!!!

Hands down; the best scene is the kiss/fight scene between Jack and Captain John Hart.


I'm getting ahead of myself. The episode begins with a man with a blowfish head driving a sports car down the street. He's not all bad because he lets a little old lady cross the street without running over her. His chivalry was short lived when the Torchwood teams hunts him down and kills him.

There was some blah, blah, blah, then Spike/ Captain Hart/ John Marsters shows up. The kiss caught me off guard but I loved it. The two hot guys fought then had a beer. Men...
I still don't understand how Captain Jack is gay in real life but still manages to make me hot under collar. Very strange.

Captain Hart is how Captain Jack was went we first encountered him; very Ferengi like. Hart killed a woman for a diamond and tricked the team into helping him find it. He betrays them, gets the diamond but it is booby trapped. If hart doesn't get the team to help him, he will die. He manipulated them into saving him. They do and he leaves. It sounds straight and to the point but the dialogue was fantastic. James Marsters added fun and excitement to the return of Torchwood.

---

I can't say that much for the next two episodes of the season. They were good and well written but a bit too dark and depressing. One involved a lady that didn't know she was a sleeper alien assassin. She ended up waking up other cell members and almost did some serious damage. Yes, yet another apocalypse. Intriguing but not fun.

The third episode was a time travel circle jerk that was Toshiko heavy. Her character is never fun. I wish they put her on a stripper pole or give her some laughing gas for once. It would be cool to see her let down her hair and get wild. The episode was a touching story. We even got a nice Torchwood™ walk down a hallway but the science in this one just was too distracting and left too many unanswered questions. Too many things were glossed over. I didn't understand how Torchwood kept the soldier frozen in 1839 when Cryonics* wasn't even invented. They say they woke him up every year to see if it was time for him to fulfill his destiny. Why? Under what instruction? How did that key work? What was it's origin again? Maybe I wasn't paying enough attention. Who knows? I do know that again, this episode was good technically but not fun.

Get it together guys.
Next week, Rhys might discover what Gwen does for a living. This ought to be interesting.


*Perhaps they used alien tech. *rolls eyes*

Lost: The Beginning of the End

The return of Lost was like the SuperBowl of science fiction for me. I was really excited. I watched the pre-game show (Lost: Past, Present and Future). I didn't throw a big party or paint my face. The best part about it is that everyone came out a winner.

Instead of flashbacks we are getting flash forwards. Hurley goes mad and ends up in an insane asylum. After the writers killed off Charlie, this is the only way to keep him on the roster. I also want to add that the summer break was really good to Charlie. His look worked for me. He had a really nice rugged, handsome thing going on.

Hurley. *sighs* Not that the insane thing is boring, I just don't want to see my favorite character going through this. On a brighter note, he got his very own creepy Haitian ala Heroes. Hurley also makes a curious comment that he wished that he'd have gone with Jack instead of staying on the island with that crazy assed Locke. To his credit, his logic was sound at the time. Charlie said it was a bad idea, listen to Charlie so that Charlie wouldn't have died for nothing. Hurley also mentioned "The Oceanic Six". If this means that only six people survived, I sense some traumatic TV viewing in our future.

The way people get killed but don't die right away annoys me on this show. Naomi gets knifed in the back by crazy man Locke. She slinks away like she's Sylar. She leaves a fake blood trail, gets on another trail, manages to climb a tree, attack Freckles, put a knife to Freckles' throat, have a change a heart, fumble around with a sat. phone then die a great and dramatic kung fu death.

I like how Jack was actually going to shoot Locke. If that gun wasn't loaded John would have been a dead man. I didn't think Jack had the stones. Way to go Jack but next time use your own loaded gun.

Lost had a good return. I wasn't disappointed and I hope they keep up the good work.

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles- Spectacular Start

The Pilot:

This is some good TV. I don't have anything bad to say about the pilot. It was action packed. Summer Glau is a terminator! That's the best thing since... I don't know what but I'm pretty damned stoked about it. I suppose I should feel ashamed for liking all of the explosions and fight scenes but dammit let me have this.

We start out with a dream sequence where Sarah goes to John's school in a tinee, tiny waitress uniform. That skirt was so short that I could tell she had ham and cheese for lunch. John is shot and killed, the terminator nukes the place and then she woke up.

Tim Guinee is back as Burke. He's the guy that looks like Nathan Fillion but isn't and works when you can't afford Nathon Fillion. He is in love with Sarah. First Vala Mal Doran (Claudia Black) and now Sarah Connor. This guy sure does pick 'em crazy. Sarah woke up that morning from her dream and decided to leave this guy. He goes to the police and this is how the terminator finds John Connor.

I love how the FBI agent questioning Burke and following Sarah calls her a whackamole for believing that robots are after her and her boy. After nineteen students confirmed seeing a man with a robot leg, that FBI agent had his government panties in a bunch.

I'm getting ahead of myself. Summer Glau as Cameron Phillips befriends John. John is complaining about the town and how uncool it is. This boy wants to be in a town that serves WHINE and cheese. He reminds me of Luke Skywalker. Anyhoo, John gets a substitute teacher that is a terminator, Cameron saves his life and they are a merry band of three on the run.

I'm fond of the terminators on this show. I think they have the right amount of cheesy robotness. The main one looks like a cross between Robert Patrick and one of the DeLuise Brothers.

If there is a Terminator encyclopedia, it seems like the writers read it. It is my goal in life to wake up naked on a highway. I also love how John wasn't creeped out by seeing his mother naked... and he might have had his little boy parts too close to her in that scene. I'm sure I'm the only twisted person that noticed that. *shudders*

Initial Verdict: I am amused. The cast is allowed to live.

Episode 2:
In this episode, we get the new official opening theme with narration.

Sarah is moping around and John has emo hair.
Cameron tells Sarah that future John sent back resistance fighters to fight in 2007. For whatever reason Sarah flips out at this news. When they seek them out, they are all dead. A terminator is lying there with the dead fighters playing possum and of course starts some trouble. I think Summer Glau is going to have a massive fight scene in every episode. She is like a new Buffy and that's a good thing. (Technically, she'd be a new Angel because she is a good robot killing bad robots but I digress.) In the middle of this street fight, Cameron gets hit by a car and her head goes through the windshield. The family inside is horrified. She does a robotic stare and says "Please remain calm." Hilarious!

In this time line, the terminators don't know what John looks like. This means that he can walk the streets freely. Later on, Cameron reveals that Sarah Connor died in 2005 of cancer.

John disobeys his mom and goes to the mall of all places. It's a Dell store. Nice product placement. This morron Google's himself and his search is broadcasted on the huge store demo screen. I'm sure this sent a red flag somewhere in the world. Some people.

Master Bra'tac is Sarah's old fake ID guy. He says he's out of "the game" and sends Sarah to his nephew. Out in the hood, nephew wants 20K for the ID's because Sarah has been dead for 8 years. He says the price went up because of 9/11. Sarah didn't know what that meant. (This is a nice touch because I wish we can all go back to not knowing what 9/11 is.) Five-oh shows up and ruins the party. The cop started giving Cameron a hard time and was about to run the plates on the stolen Jeep. As he was going back to his copmobile, Cameron was about to kill him but he was saved by Sarah. I thought for sure that the cop was going to get it. It was his lucky day and I really liked the build up to that. Plus the cop was cute. Hand cuff me baby, rawr!

John breaks into some guys house and he's married to Penny from Lost. It was weird and John ran off. Is this his father or what? I didn't really get it.

Cameron, John and Sarah go to the strong hold where the resistance fighters where. They are looking for a safe and money. The safe was rigged and knocked Cameron offline. John uses the doomsday date to open the safe and get the money before the terminator spots them. They take the money to the nephew and the nephew says something in Spanish about his uncle being a rat. Sarah went back to confront Master Bra'tac and asked him if he was an informant. He denies it but turns out he was going to sell her out to panties-in-a-bunch FBI guy.

This episode wasn't as ohh-ahh as the pilot but it held it's own and there were lots of reveals. The terminator can scan people for temperature and other vitals. She follows orders from future John only. Dogs bark at terminators. I still don't understand who EMS guy is so someone will have to explain that.

Repost: Hopefully Fox Won't Terminate Sarah Connor Chronicles

Reposted from August 1, 2007. I'm going to re- watch it and catch up on the second episode. I'll post my thoughts later.

I caught the first episode of this show it and it is off to an EXCELLENT start. It's on Fox so I'm a little scared but I going to actually try a little hope... perhaps faith... in Fox that they won't cancel this show in the first season.

First, we know the show is going to be a treat because we get Summer Glau from Firefly/Serenity. This is her new gig and NOT a guest appearance. I didn't realize that until I started reading around for more info on the show. Next we get Thomas Dekker as John Connor. He was Cheerverine's best bud from Heroes. The lady of the hour, Sarah Connor is played by Lena Headey. She was Queen Gorgo from The 300.

The pilot had it's fair share of explosions. It reminded me of the good old days of Stargate: SG1. Lena Heady as Sarah Connor is not as... butch? as Linda Hamilton as Sarah Connor. Lena has a softer edge. She's firm, yet tender to our whiny, hero John Connor. John isn't as whiny as Luke Skywalker though :) Summer Glau as a Terminator is excellent. This is a perfect role for her. I wonder if they will kill her off on The 4400?

I don't really want to say much more until it is released on Jan. 1, 2008. I will say that it's a damned fine piece of programming and I can't wait to see more. I'll also say that this story takes place as if Terminator 3 never happened. I'll tell you now, I want a guest appearance from Joe Morton and Robert Patrick.
At the end of Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Sarah, John and the Terminator successfully destroy the T-1000 and the arm and computer chip from the first Terminator. Sarah and John then watch as the Terminator is lowered into a molten steel pit in an attempt to destroy all future technology that could be used to create Skynet. Sarah and John now find themselves alone in a very dangerous and complicated world. As fugitives from the law, they are confronted with the reality that still more enemies from the future, and the present, could attack at any moment.
Wikipedia: Sarah Connor Chronicles
IMDB: Sarah Connor Chronicles
FOX: Sarah Connor Chronicles

Monday, January 14, 2008

Show Dates as of 01/14/08

Happy New Year!!! Fourteen days into the new year and this is my first post! Woooo! Way to start it off right!

Just because I haven't blogged doesn't mean that I'm totally behind. I've caught up with Tin Man and Stargate: Atlantis. To get all the way caught up, I'm using information from the trusty SFTV.org site.
 Medium (NBC)                        Jan  7  (Season Four)
Guinea Pig (SciFi) Jan 8 (Series Debut)
Ghost Hunters International (SciFi) Jan 9 (Series Debut)
Monk (USA) Jan 11 (Winter return Season 2)
Psych (USA) Jan 11 (Winter return Season 6)
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (FOX) Jan 13 (Series Debut)
Kyle XY (ABC Family) Jan 14 (Winter return Season 2)
Torchwood (BBC 2) Jan 16 (Season Two)
Torchwood (BBC America) Jan 26 (Season Two US Debut)
Lost (ABC) Jan 31 (Season Four)
Knight Rider (NBC) Feb 17 (Movie Debut)
New Amsterdam (FOX) Mar 4 (Series Debut)
Afterlife (BBC America) Mar? (Season Two)
Stargate: The Ark of Truth (MGM DVD) Mar 11 (DVD Release)
Battlestar Galactica (SciFi) Mar (Season Four)
24 (FOX) TBD (Season Seven - On Hold)

Monday, December 31, 2007

Top Science Fiction Places in Second Life in 2007

[edit: I have no idea why all of this blank space is here.]













SciFi Ranter Girl's Top Science Fiction Places in Second Life in 2007

I've scoured Second Life looking for the best sci- fi places. Here is the list in no particular order.

The links below are SLURLs they take you to your destination in- world. You have to set up a Second Life account before you can go explore. It's relatively painless and free.

Click the image to see a larger version of it. Use your back button to get back to this page.

Stargate:
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Thams/133/184/110
Store/ Night Club


I Am Legend:

http://slurl.com/secondlife/IAL%20Orientation%20Island/116/53/33
Orientation/ Roleplay/ Official Promo

That's me in a free Infected Dog avatar. They have others from the movie as well.


International Spaceflight Museum
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Spaceport%20Alpha/37/94/23
Educational/ Live Video Feed of Shuttle Launches/ Speaker Events

Wednesday, December 26, 2007

A Very Supernatural Christmas

A Very Supernatural Christmas

This episode opens up one year ago in my favorite town, Seattle, Washington. A grandpa visits his grandson on Christmas. He dresses up and plays Santa. He is startled by noises on the roof and soot coming down the chimney. Grandpa Santa is pulled up the chimney screaming and his bloody foot, still in his boot is thrown back down the chimney.

Dean questions a lady that has this happened to this year on Christmas. Sam thinks there an evil Santa on the loose; an "anti-Claus" if you will. He says there is evil Santa folklore to back up his theory; Bellsnickle, Krampus and Black Peter. This is supposed to be Santa's brother. He shows up around Christmas but instead of bringing presents, he punishes the wicked. Dean does some thinking and notes that both victims visited the same Santa's Village prior to their deaths.

We get a Sam and Dean Christmas flashback in 1991. A young Sam asks his brother why his dad hasn't shown up. He's a bit sad and starts asking Dean all sorts of questions. One of which is about his mother. Dean freaks out and tells Sam to never talk about their mother. The moment fades. Back in the present, Sam tells Dean that he doesn't want to celebrate Christmas because he doesn't have fond memories of it.

According to the lore, the anti-Clause will walk with a limp and smell like sweets. The creepy Santa that they see at Santa's Village has a slight limp and smells like ripple. They follow him and stake out his home. They hear some screaming coming from Santa's mobile home. They burst in and he is watching Christmas porn and smoking a bong. Instead of waving guns, they start to sing him Christmas carols. What a riot!!!

While they are farting off, another house is attacked by the anti-Claus. A kid sees the bloody mess of a monster and hears it attack his mother. To make matters worse, anti-Claus drags the kids father down the stairs in his Christmas toy bag and punches the dad in the bag in front of the kid. After all of that, anti-Claus eats a cookie and buggers off. That kid is going to be in therapy for the rest of his life.

Sam notices that the families all have the same wreath in common. The wreaths have meadow sweet in them. It is a pagan herb used for human sacrifice for the god of the winter solstice. (I've never heard of this god and I couldn't find him on Google but it sounds like "holding a car".) The boys ask around and find out that Mrs. Carrigan gave the shop keep the wreaths for free.

We get another flashback of young Sam and Dean. We see the moment when Dean tells Sam that monsters are real and the truth about their mom. Sam is concerned about their safety and goes to sleep in tears. Later, young Sam wakes up and sees a Christmas tree and presents. Dean tells him that their Dad finally showed. Dean actually stole the presents from under someone else's tree. Sexy Daddy Winchester never showed up.

The guys visit wreath lady and she's Martha Stewart... or like a creepy stepford wife. She says she used meadowsweet in the wreathes because "she never smelled anything finer".
Later that night, the boys do research and find out that wreath lady and her husband were in Seattle at the time of the other kidnappings/ killings. They also find out that evergreen stakes will kill the anti-Claus. The boys break into the creepy couples home at night and find a basement that filled with bloody body parts. Yuck! They were keeping the monster down there. The creepy couple attack Sam and Dean. They have super strength because they are really the evil anti-Claus demon god things. While they are holding the boys hostage, they are really chipper and polite to Sam and Dean. Hell, they are the most likeable human sacrificers that I've ever seen! The two gods complain that they had to go underground and assimilate into modern culture because Jesus came around. They say they survive on a modest amount of human sacrifice. They pull a fingernail from Sam's hand and just as they were about to pull a tooth from Dean's head, a neighbor came by with fruitcake. When the couple returns, Sam and Dean have escaped. They lock the crazy couple in the kitchen and pull their Christmas tree apart to make new stakes. The couple attacks again but gets stabbed with the make- shift evergreen stakes.

Sam changes his mind and decorates their hotel room for Christmas. The boys exchange gifts and enjoy Christmas for what could be the last time.

Supernatural: Fresh Blood

Supernatural: Fresh Blood

Gordon sneaks up on Bela and questions her about Sam and Dean. He tells her that he needs to find Sam because Sam is the anti-Christ. She gives him their location for the bag of hoodoo on Gordon's hip.

Sam and Dean are hunting a girl demon that loves fresh blood. It happens to be Playboy centerfold and ex-Buffy-ite, Harmony. Her name is Lucy and she says she "took something" and she can't come down from it. A guy is going around doping people with vampire blood; a virus. Oh lord, she's a vampire; typecast much? She's decapitated by Sam before she can do anymore damage.

Gordon and his Jesus- crazed friend is posing as FBI agents. They are pumping the latest victim for information. Gosh you dress up in a suit; go to Kinko's to make a fake badge and anyone can be an FBI agent these days. Dean and Sam hit the club that is the hunting ground of the vampire virus dealer. They kick the dealer's arse but run into Gordon and a face full of gun. Dean realizes that Bela is behind it and threatens to kill her. Vampire dealer, Dixon punches Gordon and takes him back to his lair. Dixon has two vampire girls bound and shackled. He intends to feed Gordon to them. He takes pride in capturing the greatest vampire hunter that ever lived. (bah) He wants to punish Gordon for killing his real daughter. Dixon calls the girls his new daughters. Gordon calls them Fang Whores. Dixon decides to make Gordon a vampire. Sweet irony.

Gordon gets free but starts to feel the side effects of his new life. His hearing and sight is all heightened. He can even hear heart beats from afar. His first kill is a guy changing his tire.

Sam and Dean walk in on Vamp Daddy. His daughters were slaughtered by Gordon. When I say slaughtered, I mean he ripped their heads off with his bare hands. Gordon goes back to Sidekick Jesus and tells him what happens. He begs Sidekick Jesus to let him kill Sam. Sidekick Jesus makes the mistake of trying to kill Gordon and gets a hand through his chest for his trouble.

Sam yells at Dean because he wants Dean to stop the tough guy routine. Sam tells Dean that he knows he's terrified of dying in a year. Dean drops it and prepare for the coming of Gordon. Gordon gives them a call to let them know that he has a girl hostage. It's a trap for Sam. Gordon blabs on and on and toys with Sam. There's a fight; walls are fallen through and faces are punched. Sam gets hardcore and wraps barbed wire around Gordon's neck until Gordon's head pops off. That, my friends, masterpiece quality TV.

Supernatural: Red Sky at Morning

Supernatural: Red Sky at Morning

A jogger girl sees a pirate ghost ship on the horizon. It disappears before she can get a good look. Someone follows her home and kills her. Every 37 there is a ghost ship sighting and then a rash of dry land drownings. Seeing a ghost ship is a death omen.

The boys car is stolen in the middle of an investigation. Supernatural artifact thief Bella Talbot returns. She had it towed for fun. Later in the story Bela IDed the ship. It's actually a merchant sailing ship from 1859 (no pirates :( ). A 37 year old sailor was accused of treason and hanged. They also cut off his right hand to make a hand of glory. Bela wants to find and destroy this hand because that will stop the killings. She wants to do so because she has been hired by the jogger girl's grandma.

To steal the hand, Dean has to wear tux to a museum shindig as Bela's date. Upon sight of him she says, "You know when this is over, we should really have angry sex." Dean is at a loss for words at first and replies, "Don't objectify me." Good stuff. Dean is so Captain Kirk.
Dean's date is the desperate old cougar who is the grandma of the jogger chick that is killed early on. She's all over him. It's funny in a sad way. He should take one for the team and give the old hag a toss in the sack.

Bela steals the hand and sells it for money. As she is counting her fat stack, she sees the ghost ship. She runs to Sam and Dean for help. The ghost is going after people who have spilled their own family's blood; whether it was intentional or not. They cast a spell to get Bela off of the ghosts target. They conjured the ghosts brother; the person that sentenced him to death. The ghosts kill each other and Bela is saved. Instead of thanking them, she pays them 10K.

She never reveals which relative she killed or why.

Supernatural: Bedtime Stories

Supernatural: Bedtime Stories

Trances I get but fairytale trances? That's bizarre even for us. -Dean

People are being murdered in a way that reminds the boys of childhood fairy tales. The first is three little pigs; two of three brothers that are housing contractors are arguing over materials and are slaughtered by a big wolf. The second is a couple gets lost hiking in the woods and is greeted by a harmless old lady. She drugs the apple pie and kills the husband; Hansel and Gretel. They even had a Cinderella. There is a little ghost girl at the scene of every murder.

Turns out, the doctor who is tending all of the patients that survive the attacks has a daughter. His daughter has been in a coma since she was eight years old. She's been psychically sending out people to murder in a fairy tale style. She is the little ghost girl at every crime scene. Her mother poisoned her and she's trying to let people know about the crime through these killings.

Sam sneaks off and summons the crossroads demon that has the one- year contract for Dean's soul. He tries to make a bargain to release Dean from the contract. Sam threatens her with the Demon Killing Colt. Prancing about in her FABULOUS dress, she tells Sam that she has a boss and that HE holds the contract, not her. She goes on to tell Dean that even if he kills her, the contract still stands and there is no way out of it. Sam considers this then kills her for good measure.

Supernatural: Sin City

Supernatural: Sin City

When a couple of men go crazy and kill themselves, Dean and Sam go to investigate. Turns out General Hammond is running a town with vices like whiskey and whores. He's not alone, a priest demon and a sexy barkeep demon are pulling the strings. Dean gets trapped in a basement with the the sexy barkeep. They have a heart to heart and she explains some of what happened when the demons were released from hell. We find out that Yellow Eyes was Azazael. In the event of Azazael's death, Sam was supposed to be the leader of the demons! Bobby fixes the demon killing gun with the help of the blonde demon who keeps saving Sam's arse. Sam bursts in to save Dean from both the priest and the sexy barkeep. He shot first and never asked questions. Dean shares his concerns with Bobby about Sam being fully human now that he's been brought back from the dead. Sam and the blonde arse saver discuss Deans future and what Sam needs to do to save him.

Supernatural: Lucky/Unlucky Rabbits Foot Episode

Bad Day at Black Rock

I LOVE Supernatual. Sam and Dean got a hold to a lucky rabbit's foot. Sam touched it and had unbelievably campy good luck. He, of course, lost the rabbit's foot and his lucky went to the crapper. What the boys didn't know is that once you loose the rabbit's foot, it leads to death. This episode gave us the usual Sam and Dean antics. Sam lost his shoe, gets punched in the nose and shot in the shoulder. Dean gets the power moves like throwing a writing pen so precisely that it plugs the hole of a gun that's pointed at him. He also gets the great line of "I'm Batman".

Throughout the whole thing, crazy but cute chocolate hunter guy [edit: Gordon Walker] that Sam and Dean were responsible for putting in jail is plotting Sam's death. He is in league with a Jesus- freak hunter guy and sidekick. No offense... watch the episode to see what I mean. This guy had bumper stickers like: (source)
"How would Jesus drive?"
"Don't make me come down there. -GOD" and
"Bethlehem or bust"

In the end, the boys did a ritual that broke the spell. All is NOT right as rain though. They still have Gordon after them, there are hundreds of demons roaming about Earth, Dean has less than a year to live and I'm still waiting on another appearance of their incredibly sexy father.

I'm catching up on TV shows, YAY!

Tuesday, December 25, 2007

Happy Life Day


Oh, oh... We are excited, aren't we?
Well,just relax. Just relax. Yes, a little more.
Now, we can have a good time, can't we?
I'll tell you a secret, I find you
adorable.

I don't need to ask how you find me.
You see, I am your fantasy. I am your
experience. So experience me. I am your
pleasure. Enjoy me. This is our moment
together in time that we might turn this
moment into an eternity.


That's a little too creepy for a children's holiday special but it's "adorable".

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Peter Jackson Is At It Again

I'm so tired of this on again, off again madness with Peter Jackson and The Hobbit movie. According to SciFi Wire, Peter Jackson has kissed and made up with New Line. I'm sure he'll quit or they'll fire him two more times before it's all said and done. Get it together guys. I already have LOTR fatigue. Don't bore me with these public diva fights.

In other Hobbit news, it looks like the movie will be a two- parter.

New Line added that it and Jackson have settled all litigation over Jackson's profit participation in the $3 billion-grossing Rings trilogy, without giving details. The settlement apparently brings to an end the acrimonious split between Jackson and New Line.

Jackson and Fran Walsh will executive-produce the films, to be shot simultaneously, and New Line will manage their production.

Preproduction will begin soon, and principal photography is tentatively set for 2009. The release of the first film is slated for 2010 and the sequel in 2011.

I Called It: 4400 Cancelled... Dead Zone Too :(

I knew something wasn't right with The 4400 finale this season. Everything was wrapped up too nicely. I expressed that in this post back in September; Is The 4400 Being Cancelled?
I was so blown away by the season finale of 4400. There was so much closure in this episode that it felt like the end of The 4400.
Unfortunately, TV Guide reports that my suspicions were true; USA Expresses "Deep Sadness" Over Dual Cancellations. This is awful. Honestly, I stopped watching The Dead Zone. It was a time issue.

I guess the age of the 7 year science fiction TV show is over. They're all dropping like flies. Well, there were some good times with both of these shows. I thank everyone involved for giving us two wonderful shows. You did a great job guys!

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Sad Day for Startrek.com

There have been rumors about the demise of startrek.com since 2005. This time it's the staff that is being eliminated and not the site itself. Apparently, there were 6 staffers maintaining the site. I'm surprised that they had a job for this long especially since there are no new Trek shows on. I hope this isn't harsh but right now startrek.com is a glorified encyclopedia. There is the occasional news about an actor doing this or that but there isn't really any new developments.

...except a MOVIE!! It seems odd that they would let the guys go with the new movie coming out. They could have least let the guys stay on until after that.

http://www.startrek.com/

Monday, December 17, 2007

NBC's Hulu

I got my Hulu Private Beta Invitation in my inbox today. Some say Hulu is the reason why NBC/Universal pulled out of iTunes. I say they should have waited until the service was fully functional before depriving us of online access to shows.

Anyhoo... Hulu is a streaming video- on- demand service. As far as I can tell, you can't download these shows or put them on your iPod which is a huge bummer. Another good news/bad news is that the service is free but you have to watch commercials. I guess if it's free, then it's not really all bad. Personally, I'd rather pay upfront and skip the commercials but I'm crazy or something. (*whines to NBC* Please kiss and make up w/ iTunes!!!) One feature I do like is the video embed feature. I can't believe that NBC is giving us permission to use video clips on blogs, websites or wherever. Of course, you'll have to watch an ad. Is the ad worth the length of the clip? Who knows. Also, the video editor is a bit cumbersome and it takes effort to get an exact clip. They also have user comments, reviews and you get your own profile.

Sunday, December 16, 2007

The Golden Compass

Truth be told, I didn't know what the hell The Golden Compass was. I knew that there were books. I knew that Christians were pissed about it for some reason.

I totally didn't expect this type of movie- going experience. I'm glad I walked in not knowing anything about the movie. What I got was a brand new story, intriguing plot, interesting characters and BEAUTY. This movie was extremely beautiful. I haven't really been overwhelmingly impressed with movie aesthetics since Star Wars Episode I & II. (Shut up! I don't want to hear it!) I'm not sure if the design was steam-punk but it looked like it and I loved all of it. Everyone knows how crazy I am about costuming. The wardrobe in this movie was phenomenal. Nicole Kidman stole every scene. For some reason or another, she annoyed me for a few years. She's been stepping up her game for the past few years. (...cause if she didn't Angelina Jolie would have been equally perfect in this movie.) Daniel Craig was nothing more than eye candy. I think he said about two words and got beat up. He might have gotten naked... or I could have been undressing him with my eyes. Dunno... I forget.

The story was equally fascinating. I was told that The Magisterium is actually called The Church in the books. The story is about a parallel universe where people are accompanied by their power animal or "dæmon." Wikipedia says that the soul actually resides outside of the body and takes the form of an animal. It's a lot of hippie, philosophical stuff but I really liked it. The soul/dust/animal thing is a thought-provoking concept and was well thought out. I can tell that great thought was put into this story. The movie didn't feel overly rushed or dumbed down. I'm glad that "Magisterium" was used instead of "Church". I think the author's/story's dislike for the Church would have taken away from how beautiful the story and the movie is.

Ladies and gentlemen, we have witnessed great movie direction. *applauds!*